A Frosted Leaf
by LittleSkywalker
Summary: What happens when Leafpool has Hawkfrost's kits? Now four siblings have become apprentices, and face a long road ahead. One will be lost to the Dark Forest, unawear of the evil plans behind the training. Another will train with them, but will he follow the evil trail of blood? Three of four of the kits, are burdened with great powers, what shall become of them?
1. Chapter 1

A frosted leaf

Chapter one

**Disclaimer, I do not own the warriors series, nor most of the characters but a few. If I did own the series I would've done some things **_**a little**_** differently like this fanfiction. I hope you enjoy the story. I'll try my best to make it good.**

_Night lay in the forest. A small light brown tabby was lying in the snow, panting heavily. A ginger she-cat was beside her, green eyes worried. "Please." Said the first cat, staring pleadingly at her sister. "Take care of them." The orange she-cat stared down at four bundles of fur beside the brown tabby. "I will." She promised. "Thank you." Leafpool meowed. "Who's the father?" Squirrelflight asked gently. "Hawkfrost." She replied. "Hawkfrost?" Her sister echoed, surprised. "Yes." She told her. "Just, please take them. I want them to have a normal life, not one divided from everyone else. If I tell everyone they're mine, they'll never be treated like others." Leafpool said. "Alright." Squirrelflight picked up two of the kits, and Leafpool the others. The two of them padded through the snow covered forest in silence back to camp._

Four kits sit in the center of camp below the high ledge. Three toms and one she-cat. One of the toms was a light brown tabby, another identical to him but with white underfur. Next to them was a flame coated tabby with green eyes, and the she-cat was dark brown with white underfur and sightless ice blue eyes. It was their apprentice ceremony. All of them, but the she-cat seemed to be wiggling in excitement. Her icy gaze just stayed in the direction of the leader, standing on the high ledge. "Adderkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Adderpaw. You're mentor will be Brackenfur. I hope Brackenfur will pass down all he knows on to you." Firestar meowed, addressing the light brown tabby. "Brackenfur, you are ready to take on a new apprentice. You had received excellent training from Graystripe, and you have shown yourself to be forethought and determined. You will be the mentor of Adderpaw, and I expect you to pass on all you know to Adderpaw." He told the golden-brown warrior. Brackenfur stepped up and touched noses with Adderpaw and then the two sat down with the rest of the clan. "Splashkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. From this day on, until you earn your warrior name, you will be known as Splashpaw." The leader said, looking at Adderpaw's almost twin brother. "Cloudtail, you are ready to take on an apprentice. You have shown yourself to be courageous and independent. You will mentor Splashpaw, and I expect you to pass down all that you know to him." Cloudtail nodded and walked over to his new apprentice, touching noses. "Flamekit, you are now the age of six moons and ready to become an apprentice. From this day on until you are given your warrior name, you be known as Flamepaw." Firestar begun, looking at the orange tom. "Ashfur, you mentored Birchfall, and he is all the credit to his Clan. Now ThunderClan asks you to prove yourself once more a great mentor." He told a pale gray tom sitting in the group of cats below. "I won't let ThunderClan down." Replied Ashfur, padding up to touch noses with his new apprentice. For a moment, Firestar's green eyes were on Frostedkit, the dark brown tabby, but his daughter, Leafpool stepped up to speak before he could. "Cats of ThunderClan as you know, I will not be around forever. So it's time I took an apprentice. I have chosen a cat who has shown kindness and faith. Your next medicine cat will be Frostedpaw." She announced. Firestar questioned the tabby she-cat, "Do you accept the post of apprentice to Leafpool?" She nodded. "I do." Leafpool's eyes seemed to be sparkling now. "Then at the half-moon, you must travel to the Moonpool to be accepted by StarClan before the other medicine cats." She meowed. "The good wishes of all ThunderClan will go with you." Firestar said next. Frosted_paw _padded over to her new mentor and touched noses. The clan begun to chant all their names. Adderpaw, Splashpaw, and Flamepaw all puffed their chests out proudly. But Frostedpaw just sat there, her sightless eyes staring blankly ahead.

Two cats were alone in an eerie place. One a dark brown tabby with amber eyes, the other a dark brown tabby too, but with a white chest and belly. Eventually, the two stopped and sat down near a dark pool. The larger and elder of the two begun speaking, his voice low, almost like a growl. "It seems Brambleclaw has kits." He meowed. The second one nodded thoughtfully. "They are ready, who shall we choose?" He asked. "The Medicine Cat… and Flamepaw." He replied. The second one looked surprised. "You think she will be a good an ally, Tigerstar?" He asked. "Hawkfrost, if there is one thing that is obvious about her, is that she _hates_ others for always trying to take care of her, meaning she is the perfect ally." Tigerstar told him calmly, looking down at the pool. Hawkfrost blinked. "She is small, weak muscled." He informed is father, frowning. "She will grow and learn from us." He said with more authority, as if he was tired of the subject. "Of course." Hawkfrost dipped his head. "Shall I walk in her dreams tonight?" He questioned. "Yes, and I will visit Flamepaw." Tigerstar decided. The two split up, and vanished in the darkness. Hawkfrost went to a large field near the forest and sat down, waiting. He knew she would come, and then he would have to convince the young one to train with him.

She followed Leafpool to the medicine cat den. Her ice blue eyes were distant, slightly gazed, as if she was completely lost in thought. _And she was of course._ Frostedpaw's tail swayed back and forth as she let her new mentor lead her. _Can't believe I'm doing this. I would rather be a warrior than stuck inside camp all day with a bunch of wounded or sick cats. If I only I could see, then I'd be able to fight better._ She said silently. Once in the den, the scent of herbs surrounded her. Leafpool gently touched her on the shoulder. "I know this isn't what you planned on doing with your life, Frostedpaw. I am not forcing you to be my apprentice; you can always change your mind." She meowed. "What use would I be to the warriors?" Replied the young she-cat. "I'm blind, how would I fight, or hunt?" Her new mentor had waves of despair coming off, slightly confusing Frostedpaw. "You can hear, and smell." She argued. "Doesn't matter." The dark brown tabby said simply, shaking her head. The brown tabby begun to look slightly defeated, she never wanted Frostedpaw to feel so useless to herself. "Ok, well let's start with the names and uses of the herbs." Leafpool suggested. "Alright." The apprentice told her. "These are poppy seeds." She started, nudging the new apprentice towards a group of tiny black seeds. "They're used to help cats sleep, and with pain…."

Frostedpaw was fast asleep in her den now, falling into her dreams quickly. She opened her eyes in a large field. Her ice blue eyes scanned the area. _I see in my dreams, I just wish I could see all the time._ She thought, sighing. Sniffing the air, she smelt a mouse. Frostedpaw's ears perked up at the sound of paw steps, and before she knew it, she saw the mouse race off. She frowned for a moment, but then decided to race after it anyway. Her legs pushed her forward, and she tried to pursuit the small critter. Once she had caught up, it vanished into a hole in the ground. "_Foxdung!" _She muttered. "I almost had it." She murmured softly. Frostedpaw looked around; she knew she had heard paw steps. "Hello? Is there anyone else here?" She called out. "Hello little one." Meowed a voice behind her, making her jump. She turned around to look up at large tabby tom much bigger than her, but with a very similar appearance. "Who are you?" He asked. "My name's Frostedpaw." She replied. "Hawkfrost." He told her. "You smell fishy." Frostedpaw told him. "I am formerly from RiverClan." He informed her, sitting down. "Why are you visiting me? Do you have a special message? Will you tell Leafpool too?" She asked. A purr of amusement rumbled in his throat. "No, I am here just to speak with you." He meowed. She blinked, surprised. "As long as you don't start bugging me about being 'helpless'." She replied, digging her claws into the grass. "Helpless?" He echoed. "No, you are not 'helpless', but you seek someone to teach you how to be a warrior?" He questioned. Frostedpaw hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. "I can assist you." Hawkfrost told her. She paused, unsure of his offer. "How?" She meowed. "I can visit you in your dreams and teach you." He explained. Her eyes lit up, "you can make me stronger?" He nodded. "Well, ok." She meowed. "But what about when I wake up? I will be blind again; wouldn't it be hard to practice what you taught me the night before?" Frostedpaw said softly, her eyes down to her paws now. Hawkfrost flicked her ear with his tail. "If you just try hard enough." He told her. "Try coping this." He ordered. Hawkfrost was pretending to fight an imaginary enemy. He turned on his side, pretended to slip under the opponent's belly, rake it with his claws, and then swiftly got back onto his paws out from under his fake opponent. Frostedpaw's eyes widened with impressment at how fast he did the move. "Try it on me." He told her. She paused for moment, a little nervous of taking on a cat larger than her. Frostedpaw crouched down, and he lunged forward, but she turned onto her side as he did, slipped carefully under his belly, and batted at it with her paws, then got quickly got back onto her own feet from under him. "Nicely done." He praised. Two new scents were close, but Frostedpaw didn't take notice, she was feeling rather cheerful that she had done something right for once when it came to battle training. He crouched down this time, and she copied. It was clear he wanted to test her. "Let's see what else you can do." He suggested. She nodded and braced herself for an attack. She studied him for a long moment, knowing he was much larger and heavier than her. She launched forward, onto his back. Hawkfrost was surprised at first, but then dropped, and rolled, pushing her to the ground. Frostedpaw felt careful teeth sink gently into her scruff. Hawkfrost shook her side to side, making her rather dizzy. After a moment or two, he released her, letting her back down onto the grass. Frostedpaw shook herself, and toppled onto the ground, her world spinning. "Sorry about that, Frostedpaw." He meowed. "That was the Scruff Shake." He told her. "It's a fairly simple move, best on rats because of their small size." Hawkfrost informed her. "It's fine; I should've seen that one coming." She meowed, giggling a bit. "If it was a _real_ battle however, you should've tried harder to avoid my drop-and-roll counter." He said. "I'll remember." Frostedpaw promised, still lying on the ground sideways, waiting for her dizziness to go away. "You're a really good teacher." She meowed, looking up at him with respect. He nodded. "If you're learning well enough, I shall know how well I'm doing." He told her. "_You_ are a good listener, I have high hopes you will catch onto things quickly." Hawkfrost explained. "Don't let me down on that." Frostedpaw blinked, smiling. "I promise I won't let myself let you down then." He purred. "Good, want to try one more time?" He asked. She scrambled oto her paws quickly. "Yes!" She chirped. "This time I'll knock _you_ down!" She challenged.


	2. Chapter 2

A Frosted Leaf

Chapter 2

**I do not own Warriors, or many of the characters but Adderpaw, Splashpaw, Flamepaw, and Frostedpaw, as well as possibility a few others later on in the story.**

Two she-cats padded through the forest, both carrying bundles of herbs in their jaws. Frostedpaw was carefully judging by scent how to navigate the forest. This wasn't her first time out, but she still didn't everything by heart yet. Her mentor was only a few paw steps ahead. The young she-cat's muscles ached, but she didn't care what so ever. Hawkfrost's training has left her stronger and with more stamina to walk longer around her territory, letting her keep a close pace with Leafpool. The two had been restocking their herbs all day, going back and forth, camp to forest. She let out a large yawn and she trailed her mentor.

"Sleepy?" Asked Leafpool.

"A bit." She answered through a bundle of herbs. Her ice blue eyes half-closed.

Her mentor seemed worried. "You should get some rest. You've been more tired these days than usual."

"I can still collect some more herbs." She protested.

"I think you need sleep." Her mentor said with more authority.

"Fine." Frostedpaw responded unwillingly.

They headed back to camp and placed their herbs in the storage part of their den. Frostedpaw headed to the fresh kill to get them something to eat. She gave Leafpool a squirrel and went back to get herself a mouse. "Hey Frostedpaw!" Called out a familiar voice. "Want to eat with us?" Asked Flamepaw.

"Ok!" She called back and scrambled over to her siblings.

"Well I'm much stronger than you now with Cloudtail's training!" Boasted Splashpaw, his mew directed at Adderpaw.

"No, Brackenfur's training is _better!_" Adderpaw shot back.

"Oh StarClan." Muttered Flamepaw.

Frostedpaw rolled her eyes at the arguing toms. _Hawkfrost is even better_, she said silently. Once they were all finished with their meal, and their conversations, they went back to their nests. She waved her tail to Flamepaw as goodbye and disappeared into the medicine cat den. Her paws carried her to her nest and she curled up, ready to sleep. Her eyes closed, and they reopened into the field. With the sight of grass around her, trees in the distance, her heart warmed. She loved this place; it was like home away from home. Frostedpaw looked around for Hawkfrost. She sniffed the air, catching the smell of RiverClan and smiled.

"Hey Hawkfrost!" She chirped in his direction.

"Hello Frostedpaw." He replied. "Already ready?" He asked.

"Yep."

"Alright, let's work in your duck-and-roll attacks." Hawkfrost replied. The two got into training quicker each night, but he still couldn't help be surprised at how much progress she could make in so little time. He watched her repeat the move when he told her to, ordered her to fix anything that wasn't right for the next few minutes. Their usual meetings started in a lesson, then a battle. He smiled when she had been able to finally trip him. "Getting better." He meowed.

She dodged each move, rolling away when he tried to swipe at her. Frostedpaw loved the fact she was making him proud in their training. When they were done, she sat down and rested for a bit, gaining her breath back. "Can we do some more advanced moves soon?" She asked. "Maybe." He responded. "It'll be morning soon." He told her.

Frostedpaw lied down in the grass. "Alright, then see you tomorrow night." She meowed, closing her eyes. When they opened she was back in her den. Her eyes saw nothing anymore but blackness. _I'll show him I can do more advanced tonight._ She declared silently, excited. Her mentor was still asleep. Frostedpaw's feet carried outside, she wanted something to do. She walked down to the lake and sat down beside the shore. Her ice blue eyes suddenly had sight once more, her tail fur fluffing in nervousness. _What's happening?_ She asked in her head. She was now located on the moorland. Frostedpaw spotted a large group of cats.

"Good luck, softpaw!" Called one of them.

An orange and white tom walked down and headed into a cave. She glanced around and realized she must be having a vision. _What's a softpaw?_ She wondered and followed him curiously. Instantly, the two were in a dark tunnel. She let him led the way; he didn't seem to notice her at all actually. Eventually, they were in a cave. The sound of rushing water echoed on the rocks, a river.

"Fallen Leaves?"

She heard a croaking mew from somewhere new by and noticed the tom jump in surprise. _Who was that?_

A cat sat on a rock above them. His pelt was like moleskin, the fur gone except for a few tufts along his spine, and sightless eyes bulged like eggs. His long, twisted claws flexed on the smooth branch that lay at his paws. The branch was stripped of its bark and, even in this light; Frostedpaw could see claw marks etched along it, a crowed series of straight lines scaring the pale wood. He begun to speak with Fallen Leaves, Frostedpaw eagerly listened to the conversation, wondering what was going on. Her eyes gazed around the cave.

"The uncrossed lines mark the cats who went into the tunnels but did not come out." The cat meowed, making her refocus on what was going on. _Some sort of test?_ She asked silently. _But it looked like it was going to rain, is going through tunnels the best idea?_ She wondered.

"You know you are not allowed to return to this cave? You must find a tunnel that leads straight back to the moor. Is it raining?" He rasped.

_The ginger and white tom must be Fallen Leaves._ She thought and looked at him, wondering what he'd say. He stiffened.

"The sky is clear." He meowed. Frostedpaw frowned, hoping he was right.

"Then begin."

Fallen Leaves looked around the cave, as if studying each tunnel. After a moment, he leapt across the river and into the opening that sloped upward. She scrambled after him. _Please don't let it rain!_ She prayed silently, trailing behind the ginger and white tom. He followed the path. It seemed like the right direction for sure. But as he went, they ended up at a dead end. She began to panic. _Where will we go now? _She asked silently and watched him to see what he'd do. At that same moment, she swore she heard it begin to rain. Fear-scent sparked off him. _Oh-no._ Frostedpaw thought. The tunnels were flooding; there was no way to escape. Water was enclosing on them, fear pulsed through her. _We'll drown!_ She gasped, her eyes widening as she watched the water fill the tunnel.

"Help me!" He begged, staring at her.

"I can't." She whimpered.

Frostedpaw closed her eyes wishing that she had never followed him in, but regretted that she couldn't help him get out. Water engulfed them. Fallen Leaves disappeared and Frostedpaw struggled in the flooded dead-end. She coughed as she swallowed water. _StarClan save us!_ She wailed silently as water surrounded her, forcing her down. She couldn't breathe. She opened her eyes and sighed in relief, then froze, feeling grief flood her. _I'm so sorry Fallen Leaves! _She cried out in her head. She knew she was back at the shore, she could hear the waves of the water nearby. Frostedpaw felt rather defeated, sad that Fallen Leaves must've drowned. She walked back to camp, tail swaying back in forth once and a while, but usually just dragged behind her. _Please forgive me._ She murmured. Frostedpaw padded into the clearing and listened to the sounds around. Flamepaw was jumping into an argument with Splashpaw and Adderpaw. She rolled her eyes. The scent of Leafpool caught her attention. "Firestar wants to know if you're planning on going to the gathering tonight." She meowed. "I'll be taking you to the moonpool at half-moon." She added.

"I'll come along." She replied.

"Then get some rest, the gathering will be in the night."

"Alright." Frostedpaw replied and padded to her nest. The images burned her head like fire. _I couldn't save Fallen Leaves, I failed, I'm so sorry._ She called out silently, hoping he could hear her. She closed her eyes and let sleep take a hold of her. But her dreams were only haunted by the memories of nearly drowning. She woke up a cat called her name.

"Frostedpaw?" The cat asked. "Frostedpaw, are you ok? You've been tossing and turning a lot." Leafpool told her gently. "It's almost time to go." She added softly. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." She replied sharply. "Stop asking." She muttered.

"Go get something to eat, we're leaving soon." Her mentor instructed. "If something's bothering you, you can always talk to me." She meowed.

"I'm fine." Frostedpaw growled, getting slightly annoyed. _Why can't I stop thinking about him?!_ She wailed in her mind. _I failed._

Leafpool seemed like she was about to reply, but just nudged her out of the den. "Grab something to eat."

After everyone had their fill, Firestar led the group through the forest. She followed her mentor, her brothers behind her. She could hear the waves of water on the shore as Frostedpaw walked behind her clanmates. They continued walking for a long time 'til they paused, she knew this must be where the tree bridge comes in. Her tail fur begun to fluff up a bit, nervous. Leafpool padded side to side with her.

"It's only about one fox length above you." She told her gently.

Leafpool leapt onto the bridge and meowed some words of encouragement down to her. Frostedpaw took a deep breath and sank her claws into the bark. She pulled herself up, and then she felt teeth grip her by the scruff and help her up. She took a step forward, and felt that the bark was generally slippery. She walked forward a little more, trying her best to keep her balance. Her mentor was right in front of her, leading her carefully across.

"You're almost here, Frostedpaw." She assured her.

She continued to follow her aunt, but still felt very nervous about where she was. For all she knew the branch wasn't going to stay straight the whole way. Frostedpaw placed one paw in front of the other slowly, not wanting to slip and fall into the cold waters below.

"You can do it, Frostedpaw!" Called Flamepaw. "You're almost there already." He told her.

She was about to place another paw forward but Leafpool halted her. "You're going to trip if you take one more step." She warned. "This is where you jump off." She informed her. "It's about one fox length down."

"Don't worry, when you land you'll be on lots of sand." Flamepaw meowed.

A mew from behind caught her attention, "is she really blind?" It came from the other side of the bridge on the shore.

"Don't be rude Minnowpaw." Said a new voice.

"She'll make it." Replied another voice. "It's not too far."

_One fox length, don't be afraid._ Whispered a voice in her ear. _Hawkfrost?_ Frostedpaw called out silently. _You'll be fine. _She took a breath and leaped, landing on the sand below.

"Nicely done!" Praised Flamepaw.

The sound of set of paw steps above made her back up a bit. "Don't worry; I wasn't going to jump on you." Reassured a tom's voice.

"I hope you weren't." Meowed a voice behind him.

His scent reminded her of Hawkfrost's. _He must be RiverClan._ She thought. A cat leapt down and stood beside her. "My name's Pebblepaw." He greeted.

"Frostedpaw." She replied.

Another cat leapt down. "Hello Reedwhisker." Said Leafpool.

"Hi there, Leafpool. Is she your apprentice?"

"Yes."

"Nice to meet you, Frostedpaw, you couldn't have a better mentor." Said a new voice. "My name's Mothwing, I'm RiverClan's Medicine cat. And this is my apprentice, Willowpaw."

"Hello."

"Hi."

Pebblepaw nudged Frostedpaw. "Follow me; I'll take you to the clearing."

She followed him and many new scents entered her nose. Some of which she didn't know, but others one she recognized as her own clanmates.

"Are you really blind?" Asked a she-cat's voice.

"That's my sister, Minnowpaw." Pebblepaw told her. "And yes, she is, be nice."

Frostedpaw blinked and turned her head to where she pinpointed Minnowpaw was.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be rude."

"It's fine." Frostedpaw told her.

Reedwhisker padded away to a group of mixed warriors from many other clans. Her ears were perked, listening to the conversations around her. Frostedpaw had never had so many cats near her. "Hi Heatherpaw!" Called Pebblepaw.

"Hey Pebblepaw, how's RiverClan?"

"Good."

"Who's your new friend?" She asked curiously.

"This is Frostedpaw, Leafpool's new apprentice, and my sister." Flamepaw interrupted.

"Nice to meet you."

"You alright, Frostedpaw?" Asked Flamepaw.

"I've never had so many different scents around me."

Heatherpaw had waves of interest sparking off her. "You must use your nose to mainly get around." She meowed. "Is it hard?"

"Not when you're used to it." Frostedpaw responded.

Pebblepaw tapped her with his tail on her shoulder. "I'll take you to the Medicine Cats, come on."

She nodded and followed him. She noticed some familiar scents from the borders, meaning there were WindClan and ShadowClan around her most likely. _There are way too many different scents, how will I know who's who around here?_ She wondered. Pebblepaw led her around groups of cats and to a tree root.

"Thank you Pebblepaw." Leafpool meowed. "Over here, Frostedpaw."

"Hello." Said a new tom's voice. "I'm Littlecloud, ShadowClan's Medicine Cat."

"I'm Barkface, WindClan's Medicine Cat, and this is Kestrelpaw, my apprentice."

"And you've already met us." Willowpaw meowed cheerfully.

"See you next time, Frostedpaw." Pebblepaw told her and walked away.

A yowl filled the clearing, and silence filled the island. Firestar had made the signal that it was time for the leader's to speak.

"Prey is running well, and ThunderClan has the blessing of four new apprentices." He announced. "Adderpaw, Flamepaw, Splashpaw, and Frostedpaw, all here tonight." He informed everyone.

Frostedpaw blinked and smiled a bit.

"That is all I have to report, Onestar, do you want to speak now?" Asked her leader.

"Very well." Replied a tom nearby. _That's WindClan's leader. _She remembered. "The moor is filled with prey and we have new apprentice, Breezepaw." He meowed.

Frostedpaw continued listening as ShadowClan's leader, Blackstar spoke, then RiverClan's leader, Leopardstar. Afterwards the clans begun to split up and left on the tree bridge. Frostedpaw felt a gentle nudge and turned her head, recognizing Pebblepaw's scent.

"It's easy." He promised. "Just remember how you crossed it earlier." He meowed.

She sighed and climbed onto the tree bridge. She sank in her claws to help her stay balanced on the branch. Frostedpaw walked slowly across, and leapt down on the other side, glad to be off of the branch. Pebblepaw followed her and jumped down a few seconds after her.

"I'll see you next moon." He chirped and went after his clanmates.

_Are cats from other clans always so nice at gatherings?_ She wondered. _But why can they change their mood with you so fast when it's not at a gathering?_ Frostedpaw asked silently. She trailed behind her mentor as they headed back around the lake toward home. Her paws were growing tired when they finally reached the edge of their own territory. _What does it have to be so far, and so late when we go to gatherings?_ She complained in her head. She kept following, just about two steps behind her mentor as they got closer to camp. She was happy to be back in a place she knew well. As they entered camp, her paws carried her instantly to the medicine cat den, where her nest was, Leafpool leading the way.

"Goodnight, Frostedpaw." She meowed as the dark brown tabby curled up, her sightless eyes half-closed.

"Night, Leafpool."


	3. Chapter 3

A Frosted Leaf

Chapter 3

**I do not own Warriors, the book series belongs Erin Hunter. Adderpaw, Splashpaw, Flamepaw, and Frostedpaw belong to me.**

Two cats walked up a path through the forest to a stream. Both brown tabbies, only the smaller one had darker colored fur. They were on the way to the moonpool. Frostedpaw's sightless eyes were glazed over, lost in thought as she followed her mentor. _Will you be there, Fallen Leaves?_ She asked silently, knowing she wouldn't get an answer. The two waited for the other medicine cats in silence. Leafpool sat down and Frostedpaw sat there beside her. There was movement nearby and her ears perked up and head turned. She recognized RiverClan and noted it must be Mothwing and Willowpaw.

"Hello Leafpool, Frostedpaw." Meowed a cheerful Mothwing.

"Good to see you, Mothwing." Leafpool replied.

Willowpaw sat next to Frostedpaw. "How's ThunderClan?" She asked.

"As usual." She responded.

The grass rustled near and ShadowClan scent entered her nose, and she identified Littlecloud.

"Hello." He greeted.

"Nice to see you, Littlecloud." Leafpool said.

"Hi there, Littlecloud." Willowpaw meowed.

"Hello Willowpaw." He replied. "Nice to see you again, Frostedpaw. This will be your first time at the moonpool." Littlecloud purred.

Waves of pride were coming off her aunt at his words, she was clearly happy her young niece was going to be a Medicine cat when she's older. Frostedpaw on the other hand, didn't share Leafpool's enthusiasm, considering she hated being set apart. But it didn't matter; maybe she could finally talk to Fallen Leaves and apologize. _If you can hear me, I'm sorry I let you down._ She called up silently. Her head turned at the sound of more paw steps and fresh WindClan scent was near, telling her that they were about to get going again soon.

"Hello Barkface, 'bout time you got here." Said an excited Willowpaw. "This is Frostedpaw's first time here!"

He purred in amusement. "Well, is everyone ready?"

"Yes." Squeaked Willowpaw.

"I think so." Mothwing told him.

"Come on." Leafpool nudged Frostedpaw and the group padded up the rocky slope. The small apprentice walked alongside her mentor, her eyes glazed over again, still thinking. _Will Hawkfrost be there to greet me? I'd love to see him when I'm brought before StarClan for my first time._ She wondered silently, remembering her father's half-brother who usually visited her in her dreams. She followed the trail up and heard the sound of water falling, realizing there must be a small waterfall nearby. Her mentor led her down to the pool and the other Medicine cats took other sides, sitting down, their attention on the two ThunderClan cats.

"Frostedpaw, is it your wish to enter the mysteries of StarClan as a medicine cat?" Leafpool asked.

"Yes." She replied calmly.

"Then come forward." She told her apprentice. "Warriors of StarClan, I present you with this apprentice. She has chosen the path of a medicine cat. Grant her your wisdom and insight so that she may understand your ways and heal her Clan in accordance with your will." Leafpool meowed. "Now lie down and drink from the pool." She instructed, her voice filled with pride.

Obediently, she lied down and drank from the pool in front of her, instantly she was washed away into a dream. _StarClan are here._ She thought, her paws shaking in excitement. _Is Fallen Leaves here? And what about Hawkfrost?_ She asked in her head. She looked around, wondering who would talk to her.

"Hello, young one." Greeted a kind voice from behind.

"Who are you?" Frostedpaw asked curiously.

A tortoiseshell she-cat stepped forward, her amber eyes warm. "My name is Spottedleaf."

"I think I've heard of you." She meowed. "You were one of ThunderClan's former Medicine Cats."

She nodded. "I am here to welcome you on the path to become a Medicine Cat." Spottedleaf informed her.

"Do you know anybody named Hawkfrost?" Frostedpaw

She was silent for a moment but nodded. "Yes I know him."

"Is he here?"

"No."

She frowned, wondering why he hadn't showed up as he normally did when she was asleep. "Well, is there a cat named _Fallen Leaves_ here? I owe him an apology." Frostedpaw told the starry Medicine Cat.

She shook her head. "No, he does not walk these skies right now."

"What do you mean by that?"

"He is not StarClan, if anything, he _should've_ been in the Tribe of Endless Hunting, but he is unwilling to leave."

"Leave where?"

"That is something you must find out on your own."

"But I want to know _now."_ She protested.

"Be patient, and answers to your questions will come." Spottedleaf replied.

Frostedpaw sighed, upset at the idea of having to wait for answers. "Is there anything you need to tell me for my clan?"

She purred and shook her head.

"You have a natural curiosity; I see why Leafpool is proud." Said a new voice making her turn her head. "My name is Bluestar; I was leader of ThunderClan before Firestar."

"I've heard of you too." She meowed. "You were his mentor."

She nodded. Her blue-gray fur shone silver in starlight. "It is almost morning, about time for you to rejoin your mentor and the other Medicine cats." She murmured looking up.

Frostedpaw followed her gaze and nodded. "Will I see you again?"

"When we need to speak with you, yes." Spottedleaf told her.

With that, she opened her eyes and woke up to darkness once more. The other Medicine cats were stirring as well. Her mentor attention for her instantly. "Did you dream?"

"Yes."

She purred. "I believe in my choice of thinking you'd be a good apprentice, I'm glad you have made a connection."

Frostedpaw noticed at those words Willowpaw had felt some nervousness. She wondered about it, but Littlecloud's voice sounded from nearby. "Any warnings?" He asked.

"No." Replied Leafpool simply. "StarClan haven't told me anything saying of any type of danger."

"I didn't hear anything about trouble." Barkface told the group.

"Mothwing?" Asked Littlecloud.

"Nothing saying of any dangers." She responded.

Willowpaw's meow followed after, "so I guess StarClan doesn't foresee anything bad's going to happen." Her voice was cheerful.

With that the group started heading back. Frostedpaw began wondering why Hawkfrost hadn't been there once again. _Didn't he want to see me made an official apprentice before StarClan?_ She asked silently. _Maybe he was busy,_ she assured herself and kept in pace with Willowpaw. Then her thoughts flickered to Fallen Leaves. _What did Spottedleaf mean when she said; "…he does not walk these skies..."?_ She asked in her head. _Answers come to those who wait._ Said a voice in her head. It sounded like Hawkfrost's meow instantly. _Patience brings whatever you want._ He told her. Frostedpaw trailed the other Medicine Cats and sighed. _Anything I want?_ She asked silently after a few minutes. _Yes._

A ginger and white tom was sitting quietly in a tunnel, his green gaze staring blankly ahead, as if lost in thought. He remembered, all those years ago, drowning in the tunnels, and there he still wait. He refused to leave but begun to wonder if that was the right decision. _If I leave, how will my mother find me? I must wait for them to come for me._ Fallen Leaves said to himself. He heard paws stumble somewhere, after a moment there was a thud and small, "opf!" He blinked curiously and wondered near the spot he had heard it. A small dark brown she-cat had slipped down one of the entrances. He _knew_ her from somewhere. One of her legs was held in awkward position, as if in slight pain as she had stumbled in. She looked about seven to nine moons old, her eyes completely sightless. Fallen Leaves wondered if she was wounded.

Her head had lifted. "_Fa-Fallen Leaves? Is that you?"_ She questioned.

"You can _see_ me?" He asked. _But she's blind._

"This isn't a vision again, is it?" She asked.

"No."

"Then it is you?"

"Yeah."

She brightened at his reply. "I'm sorry." She said, looking down now.

"For what?" He responded.

"I couldn't save you."

"I don't blame you." Fallen Leaves meowed. "Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure." She murmured. "I thought-I thought you drowned… how are you here?"

He blinked. "It's not my time to leave."

"Why not?"

"If I leave, my mother won't be able to find me."

She looked like she about to protest but didn't argue, she could see the sense in his words.

"You're hurt aren't you?" He asked. "Oh, and by the way, I never got your name."

Her blue eyes stared deep into his green. "Frostedpaw." She meowed.

He smiled. "Nice to _officially_ meet you, Frostedpaw." Fallen Leaves told her. "Are you hurt?"

"I'll shake it off." She replied calmly. "I'm strong enough. My mentor's going to be worried…"

"Don't go." He begged.

Her eyes filled with sadness. "I can't stay, I have to go back to my clan, I'm their Medicine Cat Apprentice." She told him. "Why not come _with me? _We can take care of you."

He shook his again and reminded her of his mother. She seemed bothered by his words every time but didn't disagree. "Well _my_ mother is going to kill me if my leg's broken." She joked.

He chuckled. "Good point." He meowed, trying to sound more cheerful. "Will you _come back?"_ Fallen Leaves asked.

"I guess I could every once and awhile." She informed him.

"_Promise?_"

"Alright, I _promise_." She said and with that she carefully headed back through the way she came. "Thank you!" She called as she disappeared, leaving him alone in the dark tunnel once more.

"Be careful next time!" He called after her, even though he figured she wouldn't have caught his words that time. _She'll come back. But will mother?_

Frostedpaw placed her leg on the ground and winced a bit. She had slipped into the pathway and landed very weirdly on her leg. _I probably just dislocated it; mom is going to kill me still though. I wonder how well training will go tonight._ She thought, shaking her head. Frostedpaw sighed. _It's going to hurt putting it back in place._ She told herself, not really in the mood of fixing her own leg. _Don't put too much weight on it for a while. _ She advised herself. Frostedpaw quickly popped it back in place, and bit back a yowl of pain. _It's great I bumped into him knowing he forgives me, but why did I have to fall in?_ She asked in her head. _I am so dead when I get home, well if Squirrelflight notices my leg anyway._

"Hey Frostedpaw!" Shouted a familiar voice and she rolled her eyes. Flamepaw raced to her side, waves of excitement sparking off the young apprentice.

"Yes?" She asked, head titled.

"I just beat Ashfur in training!" He said proudly.

Ashfur had caught up soon; waves of embarrassment came off him. Frostedpaw could imagine the flame colored tom tackling the pale gray tom. "I was going easy on you." He meowed defensively.

Flamepaw laughed. "_Sure."_ He meowed sarcastically.

Annoyance begun to replace the embarrassment. She couldn't help but purr in amusement. _"Humble warriors know not to brag."_ She teased, a lesson she recalled from Brambleclaw scolding his own apprentice, Berrypaw.

Now it was Flamepaw who was embarrassed. Ashfur felt rather awkward being defended by her she realized. _He's never happy near me or my siblings._ She thought, beginning to realize that.

"I should be getting back to Leafpool." She told them. "Flamepaw, don't brag. Ashfur, don't embarrass yourself." She teased both of them and padded away, making sure she put her hurt leg down very carefully. Her whiskers twitched in amusement, as _once again_ she heard her other siblings auguring, but this time Brambleclaw was jumping in telling them to stop.

"There you are." Said Leafpool, catching Frostedpaw on surprise. "I was getting worried you've gotten hurt or lost." She told her. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine." She replied.

"Good, it was getting late; I was actually thinking about sending a patrol to find you."

"Well I'm fine."

"I'm glad to know, you should get some rest, and we've got a lot of restoring to do tomorrow."

"Why's that, we already restocked earlier this moon."

"Firestar's worried that Onestar is ready for a fight if there's any more arguments by the border." She meowed.

"There's going to be a fight?" She asked instantly.

"Hopefully not."

Murmuring her "agreement" Frostedpaw made her way to her nest. Her ice blue eyes closed and reopened back in the field. She smiled and looked around. Remembering past times that Hawkfrost had caught her on surprise when she arrived; she got ready for any signs of movement nearby. Her eyes shone bright with determination. The grass rustled and this time two dark brown tabbies were there to greet her. She gaze the new one a puzzled look.

"Who are you?"

"My father." Hawkfrost replied.

"You're Tigerstar?" She meowed, unable to hide the surprise of meeting the cat she has heard many nursery tales of. "You're my father's father, aren't you?"

"Yes." The large tabby replied.

"What do you want with me?"

"Don't sound so frightened."

"You murdered many cats." She told him, her tail tip twitching.

"I wanted what was best for ThunderClan, but they drove me out instead." Tigerstar meowed calmly. "They didn't see that I only wanted to make them stronger, to make them great."

"That's not how my grandfather sees it." Frostedpaw argued. "He's told me some of the stories himself. You tried to kill your own leader."

Hawkfrost's tail began twitching as well, as if he felt rather awkward now. "Tigerstar wants to redeem himself." He explained. "We want to help you."

She went silent, and listened what his father had to say now, wanting a reply to her last few words.

"That was in the _past_ I'm more focused on the _future."_ He told her gently. "And _you_ are part of the _future_ are you not?"

She wasn't sure if she liked it much, but did remember how strong cats always said Tigerstar was. _If he's as powerful as they say, he could help me become the best I could for my clan._ Frostedpaw thought. "I'm not sure…" She begun, but then looked at Hawkfrost. "But if Hawkfrost trusts you, I guess I will too. You both are kin after all; I guess it can't do much harm."

"Of course I trust him, he's my father." Hawkfrost said, making his voice rather cheerful.

"Is he training with us tonight?" She asked curiously.

Tigerstar shook his head. "I am assisting another friend of ours tonight; I will check your progress another time, Frostedpaw." He told her, and with that he walked away, disappearing into a large forest.

"Do you want to work on your badger defense?" Hawkfrost asked.

"I've never done it before." She responded. "Can teach me an _advanced_ version? You promised, remember?" She asked.

"Alright, but only once you learn just the _normal_ version first." He countered.

"Fine." Frostedpaw growled, tired of doing just normal moves instead of learning even better, more powerful ones.

She was just _like_ him, he begun to realize. _Her fur, those eyes, the attitude, is there something I'm missing?_ He thought. _Well she is kin you dumb mouse brain._ He told himself. _But she's too much like himself, it shown everywhere. The way she wanted to learn every battle move she could, to make her muscles stronger. To prove herself to her clan that she isn't some weak blind cat who always needed care._ He demonstrated the move carefully and watched her copy. "Very close." He told her. _She's Brambleclaw's daughter, she probably just got a bit of our father, Tigerstar in her._ Hawkfrost said silently. _But nobody was there when they were born… but… Leafpool._ He thought. Right there it just hit him in the head. _What is Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw weren't her parents? After all nobody saw her give birth and she was hardly ever in the nursery to give them milk._ He told himself. _But if they aren't her parents, who are?_

"Like this?" Her voice broke into his thoughts. She was leaping over an imaginary badger, and then turned on her back legs as he demonstrated.

"Wonderful." He replied, impressed of how fast she had caught on with the badger defense at her small size.

"Can you show me an _advanced_ version now?"

"Ok, watch carefully." He told her. He leapt over an imaginary badger, turned on his back legs, and, while turning, he pretended to rake his claws on his fake opponent's back. "It shouldn't be too hard for you to get it, but don't expect it on the first try." He warned.

She nodded, her eyes gleamed. "I'll get it eventually." She told him and begun attempting to copy his exact moves.

"Close." Hawkfrost meowed. _She must be related to my family though; she's almost an exact twin of me. _He figured, studying her moves carefully. _Only cat who was with Squirrelflight when they came to the clan was Leafpool… so she'd clearly know…_ He said silently to himself. _Maybe I should pay her a visit later._ He thought, but was uncertain, considering he was highly aware that StarClan had their eyes on that particular medicine cat. "There you go." Hawkfrost announced when she finally, after lots of tries, did it right. "After some more practice you'll improve on that one." He told her. "It's getting closer to morning." He advised. She looked disappointed at first but left lying down in the grass.

"See you, Hawkfrost."

He nodded and walked away, wondering how he would enter Leafpool's dreams. It wasn't a lie that he told Frostedpaw, but he needed to leave her somewhere while he tried to enter her mentor's dreams. He looked into a pool and thought hard. _Could I really just enter her dreams? It's simple enough with Frostedpaw. _He nodded and decided he would summon the light brown tabby to the field. It wasn't long really, until she was asleep and arrived. Her expression was completely readable too.

"Leafpool." He called.

Her head lifted in seconds and the fur along her tail fluffed. "Hawkfrost." She meowed, her voice stiff, and he realized she wasn't so pleased to see him.

"I need to speak with you."

"What do we have to talk about?" She growled. "You tried to kill Firestar."

He frowned. "I did it for my father." He replied calmly.

"You did for the wrong cause."

"It's not what I wanted to talk about." He responded coolly.

Leafpool's amber eyes had a slight blaze to them now. "Than what is it?" She hissed. "You know I won't forgive you for what you tried to do."

"I want to know about the kits."

"The kits?" She echoed.

"My _'brother's' _kits." Hawkfrost told her.

She flinched, and her tail begun to twitch. "They have nothing to do with you, leave them be." She replied.

"They're not _Brambleclaw's_ are they?" He asked.

"Why would you care?" She demanded.

The two glared at each other for a long minute, but Hawkfrost felt as if he'd never want the moment to end. It had been so long since he had such a fight with her, and the old excitement was there. She begun to notice too, but wasn't as thrilled.

"Did we always do this?" She growled.

"I think so." He said. "But I want to know about the _kits."_

Her neck fur bristled. "I'm not _telling_ you." She replied.

"If you won't, I'll just find my own way of learning." He growled and tapped a pool with his tail.

Leafpool went silent when she saw the figure of Frostedpaw, sleeping in her den. "Leave her alone." She growled.

"If you don't tell me, somebody's going to get hurt." He threatened.

Leafpool felt anger pulse through her. She had once _loved_ this cat. Thought he wasn't really going to do any harm to anybody. "Don't you dare." She warned, her eyes fixed on Frostedpaw's image. _He wouldn't really hurt her would he? She's his kin._ She said silently.

Hawkfrost looked annoyed. "I don't want to use her for ransom, but if you don't tell me I will." He hissed.

"Why should I tell you?" She demanded, digging her claws into the ground. "You shouldn't stick your nose into somebody else's business."

He growled, getting really ticked off by the looks of it. She knew that both of them most likely wanted to avoid a fight. _I would tell you, but then they might not be safe if you knew_. She thought her heart tearing. "Don't you ever even think about hurting her." She meowed.

His fur fluffed up, making him look twice his size. "Then tell me."

"I can't!" She hissed.

"You will if you want her safe."

Her eyes went back to the pool, hurt filling her eyes. _If I refuse he could hurt her, but if I do tell him she, along with her siblings will be in danger._ She told herself. _Oh StarClan what do I do!? _She wailed silently.

"Well?" He growled.

"Why do you do this?" She replied, turning her head away.

He was silent for a long moment that felt like a hundred seasons. "I want to know."

"No." She responded, closing her eyes tight, praying Frostedpaw won't get hurt.

He didn't reply and walked away. Leafpool opened her eyes back in her den, feeling relief when she noted Frostedpaw was untouched, no claw marks anywhere. She walked close to the small she-cat, studying her carefully, watching the rise and fall of her chest.

"Frostedpaw, hey wake up, it's almost time to restock." She said gently. _No reply. _She kept herself from panic. _She's sometimes a heavy sleeper._ She tried to assure herself. _Why won't you wake up?_ She asked silently, nudging the dark tabby. _Is this she just_ _sleeping own her own account_,_ or is this Hawkfrost's doing?_

Her eyes opened, she was still in the field. _Why am I still asleep? I thought he said its morning._ She wondered silently and looked for Hawkfrost. Catching his scent, she bounded over to his side. He was sitting down, tail curled around his paws, eyes shut.

"Hawkfrost?" She asked, sitting in front of him.

"Yes?"

"You said its morning."

"It is."

"I'm still sleeping."

"I notice."

"What do I do for now then?"

"What you want to."

"I don't know what I want to do."

"Find something fun, that's what apprentices like, right?"

_Not helpful._ She thought.

"Do you have something to do with me still sleeping?"

He opened his eyes. "No." He said calmly.

"Alright, guess I'm just tired."

"Most likely. After falling into a tunnel, rest is what your leg needs I suppose."

She flinched, he knew about her leg. She didn't want to look weak to anybody.

Clearly, he noticed her reaction. "You are strong." He told her. "One dislocated leg _that was fixed, _doesn't affect your strength. It didn't bother your training."

"I know, I just don't like admitting when I get hurt." She muttered. "But really, what is there to do?"

"Practice." He muttered.

"But I've already done that."

"There's no limit to it."

"But it's getting boring; I want something else to do."

"Do you act like this with Leafpool?"

"Not really."

"Apprentices…" He sighed.

She grinned a bit. "We can play a game?"

"What game?"

"Any."

"Why?"

"Because it's something to do!"

"Can't believe I'm dealing with this..."

"_Please!"_

"Fine." He finally replied. Hawkfrost walked away a bit, sank his teeth into a stick and drew a line. "I want you to try and cross it." He instructed.

She gave him a look saying "really?" all over it but didn't argue, considering he had finally given her something to do. She crouched down a begun attempted to get over it, but Hawkfrost launched himself at her a pinned her down.

"I see now." Frostedpaw meowed cheerfully. "You're going to try to keep me from getting across."

She tried again, this time attempting to slither close to the ground quickly but he swiped his paws across her's making her fall sideways. The two continued this challenge until she finally leapt past him and rolled to the other side. The rest of the day consisted of different challenges, mainly ones similar and she was trying to get somewhere or something with Hawkfrost trying to keep her from doing so.

"It'll be time to wake up soon." He commented, noting it was close to the morning once more.

"I've been here all day, my mentor's going to kill me!" She meowed her eyes humorous.

All he did was shrug and she lay down in the grass, closing her eyes.

Leafpool had finished the restocking and sat beside her apprentice, it was late, and her pelt prickled. _Was she hurt, just it's not showing?_ She sighed and lay in her nest, her amber eyes staring at her "niece". She opened her eyes once _again_ in the field and her fur fluffed when she spotted Hawkfrost.

"Why?" She growled.

"I want to know." He countered.

"What have you done to her?" She hissed.

"She is perfectly safe and unharmed." He said coolly.

"Then let her go, she's been asleep all day, I see what you're trying to do." Leafpool meowed. "I'm not going to tell you what you want to know."

"She won't wake up if you don't." He growled.

Her pelt bristled. "Why do you want to know?" She asked, trying to settle down, making her voice soft.

"Whose kits they are." He replied.

She made herself look puzzled. "What do you _mean_ by that?"

"I figured out they're _not Squirrelflight's._" He told her. "She was never in the nursery long was she?" He challenged.

She just glared at the large tom, very pissed off. "_Let. Frostedpaw. Go._" She finally growled angrily.

"Squirrelflight never gave them milk did she?" He continued.

"It shouldn't matter to _you._"

"Squirrelflight didn't kit them, did she?" He growled.

She froze, _how would he know that for sure?_

"Somebody else did, and the only cat with her, was _you._ So you must _know_ who the real family is."

Leafpool's heart burned with sadness and pain. _He'll find out anyway some way or another._ And his words from the night before echoed in her mind, _"If you won't, I'll just find my own way of learning."_ She finally sighed, giving up. "You're right, they're not Squirrelflight's, and they're not Brambleclaw's." She told him.

"Then whose are they?"

"You should've guessed by now." She hissed.

He froze for a long moment, his icy blue eyes fixed on her amber. "They're…" He began, but trailed off.

"They're _your_ kits, they _always_ have been." She meowed.

"But who-?" He stared at her in pure shock. "Our…?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't-" She cut him off.

"I wanted to _protect_ them." She hissed.

He was silent now. "She'll be with you in the morning." He said simply and walked away.

She watched him go, her heart torn. _I'm sorry, but I had my reasons. You would've used them to help you by now if you knew._ She thought, sighing. After a few moments, she opened her eyes and got up. Her paws carried her to her daughter's nest. "Frostedpaw?"

"Yeah?" Replied a sleepy yawn. "What is it?"

"You alright?"

"Of course…. How long was I… sleeping?" She asked, looking embarrassed.

She purred. "Not _too_ long." Leafpool replied.

Frostedpaw frowned. "It was long, wasn't it?"

She shrugged. "Just glad you're awake and ok."

"The herbs..?"

"I restocked."

"Sorry."

"That's fine."


	4. Chapter 4

A Frosted Leaf

Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own Warriors, or many of the characters in this story, only Frostedpaw, Adderpaw, Flamepaw, and Splashpaw.**

A small apprentice walked silently through the sunlit forest, her ice blue eyes staring blankly ahead. She was basing on memory, to find the tunnel she had stumbled into not too long ago. She found a dip in the ground and put her paw through. Pleased, Frostedpaw slipped carefully in, making sure not to slide like she had her first time. Once in, her head turned side to side then went down. _Did he get tired of waiting?_

"Frostedpaw, you came." Said the familiar voice.

"Of course I did, I made a promise." She replied.

Waves of joy sparked off the ginger and white tom. She smiled; glad he was happy with her.

"How long will you stay?" Fallen Leaves asked.

"I can't for too long, I need to get to work."

"Work on what?"

"I'm a Medicine Cat."

"What's that?"

"Well, I live in a Clan." She began. "My aunt is my mentor, and she's the clan's Medicine Cat, who's training me to take her place."

"Medicine Cat… you heal?"

"Yes."

"Is it hard?"

"Not after you know all the herbs."

"Do you?"

"Not yet, I'm just an _apprentice."_

"Is that like a Softpaw?"

"I don't know what a Softpaw is mouse-brain."

He chuckled. "I didn't know what an apprentice is."

She rolled her eyes.

"A Softpaw is somebody who is training to get ready to be a Sharpclaw."

"Sharpclaw, is that like my clan's Warriors?"

"I guess, maybe."

"Warriors are the cats of the clan who protect and hunt for the clan. They also take care of training apprentices."

"Are you trained to be like a warrior too? Or do you _just_ learn about herbs?"

"My mentor's never taken me out hunting, or battle training, so I assume she's only going to teach me to heal."

"But if you don't learn to fight, how will you defend yourself?"

"I have my instincts, and my uncle."

"Your uncle's a good fighter?"

"And a great teacher."

"Sounds like you got your life all sorted out for ya, huh?" He purred.

She blinked, surprised and shrugged. "I guess."

"Frostedpaw!?" Cried out a voice from the forest, making her jump.

"Sounds like my mentor…" She grumbled.

"You should get going then."

"I'll be back later." Frostedpaw promised and followed the path up to the forest. She raced to the place she heard Leafpool call out.

"There you are." Her aunt meowed when she noticed she had arrived.

She just dipped her head and followed Leafpool as they headed towards the shore. Frostedpaw trailed behind her silently; her ice blue eyes seemed glazed, as if lost in thought. Her mentor paused, and she stumbled and scrambled onto her paws, her head up at her.

"What's wrong now?" She asked.

"I was wondering where you were. You alright?"

"I'm fine, look at me." Frostedpaw replied, getting rather annoyed at how her mentor always asked if she was ok or not, day in, day out.

"You don't disappear often, it made me worried." Leafpool meowed.

"Worry, is for Squirrelfight to be complaining about, _she's_ my mom."

"I'm your aunt, _and_ your mentor, so it's just natural."

Hawkfrost sat alone in the field, his tail brushing the ground around him. His eyes fixed on a pool, watching Leafpool and Frostedpaw as they were out by the lake. _She hasn't even told her kits the truth._ He realized. He just sat there, in silence watching them walk by the shore, collecting watermint. _Why hasn't she at least told one of her best friends, Sorreltail or Mothwing for example?_ He wondered. As they moved along the rocks, pebbles and plants, he noticed how, now that she has many nights of training, she no longer was as clumsy as she _used_ to be, despite she did stumble once and a while. Hawkfrost smiled to himself a bit, happy she has been improving in both the waking world and the nights where they trained in the field. _She's strong because she's my daughter,_ he thought. He had never thought, on any occasion, that they could've been _his_ kits all along. He continued staring down to the pool, mainly focused on the tiny she-cat identical to him. He dug his claws into the ground when his eyes begun fixing on Leafpool, hurt filling his heart. _She chose her clan, not me when she could've had everything she ever wanted._ He thought, his hurt becoming partly anger. Time pasted on, he was lying in the grass, tail twitching. It was almost night, almost time for training. He padded back to the pool, and Hawkfrost peered in, noting Frostedpaw was lying in her nest once more. A few minutes passed, and the small she-cat raced over to meet him.

"Hi, Hawkfrost!" She chirped.

"Frostedpaw." He greeted in reply, his eyes fixed on the small tabby.

"Are we going to continue on my badger defense?" She asked.

"No." Replied a new voice, and Tigerstar padded out of the trees, a small flame colored tom scrambling after him.

"_Frostedpaw?_"

"_Flamepaw?_"

The siblings stared at each other in pure shock, neither saying anything for a while.

"We're going to practice team battles." Hawkfrost explained.

Frostedpaw looked up and blinked. "Team battles? Already?"

"You're not scared are you, that makes me nervous." Flamepaw whispered.

Hawkfrost rolled his eyes. _Apprentices will be apprentices,_ he reminded himself. _And siblings will be siblings…_

The rest of the night went slow for him. Frostedpaw and he were trying to overpower Tigerstar and Flamepaw, only Frostedpaw had a hard time when she tried to trip her grandfather. Hawkfrost took an easy step backward, making Flamepaw tumble when he was trying to head-butt him.

"Don't let him be faster than you." Growled Tigerstar, clearly watching the young tom's battle movements. While he was talking, Frostedpaw slipped under him and kicked his back legs, making him fall to the ground.

"Nicely done," Hawkfrost praised.

Frostedpaw smiled, her whiskers twitching in amusement at the fact she'd knocked Tigerstar down so fast. "I pictured him better at fighting." She called quietly.

He rolled his eyes and twitched his tail, telling her to focus on her opponent. And like her, he got back to paying attention the battles. Hawkfrost's eyes were glued to Flamepaw. The small orange tabby was circling him, as if studying him to find the best way of attack.

"No point." Taunted Frostedpaw nearby, watching her brother. Now distracted though, Tigerstar was able to pounce on her and pin her down.

"Never let your enemy have the chance of surprise." The large tabby hissed.

Her ears flattened with embarrassment. Hawkfrost shook his head. _More to learn than I thought… _ He said silently as he dodged another one of Flamepaw's attacks.

Frostedpaw wiggled under the larger tabby, her fur hot with embarrassment of not paying attention again. She was getting a bit annoyed, unable to free herself from the heavy warrior. _How on earth am I supposed to get him off me? He's too heavy…_ She said silently, still struggling for a moment. Then, she froze, letting herself go limp. Tigerstar loosened, but just barely, as if taunting the small she-cat. As she let him hold her down, she watched her uncle and brother, curious of their fight. Neither had attacked in a while, as if they were trying to figure out what the other one was planning; only Hawkfrost just stood still, unlike Flamepaw who was still circling him. She rolled her eyes, _nobody can beat Hawkfrost._ Frostedpaw declared silently.

"It's time to go." Meowed Flamepaw suddenly, looking at the brightening sky.

Hawkfrost's head went up and nodded. "We'll begin working on some advanced moves next time, Frostedpaw." He promised. "_Once_ you figure out how to _not_ let Tigerstar tackle you." He added, but it was a joke, clear to her by his tone.

"I'll get you next time." She vowed to the tabby, which still had her pinned.

"We'll _see_." He replied and relished her.

"See ya." Frostedpaw meowed cheerfully and scrambled after her brother deeper into the field. The two lay down together, beginning to chat before closing their eyes.

"Didn't know you were training with 'em." Flamepaw meowed.

She shrugged. "Hawkfrost has been making me much stronger than I've been." She told her brother.

"You _look just_ like them." He commented.

She blinked; she had never thought of it that hard before. "I guess it's because our father is _their_ _kin_." She replied.

Flamepaw shrugged. "See you in a bit." He told her sleepily.

"Ok." She responded, closing her eyes, only to open them into darkness. Frostedpaw stood up and stretched. Blinking, she sniffed the air. They had enough herbs to last through all of leaf-bare and beyond, giving her time to waste. She walked out of the Medicine Cat Den, instantly her brother's scent filled her nose.

"Frostedpaw, want to train with me and Ashfur?" Flamepaw asked.

"Can I come?" Questioned a new voice, making her turn. Mousepaw had padded over to them, playfulness waved off him.

"If Leafpool is if with it of course." Said Ashfur, whom had arrived at the scene.

Spiderleg and Leafpool, who were at the fresh-kill pile at the time, heard their conversation and walked over.

"I suppose, we're not low on anything at the time."

"I'll be up for training." Spiderleg added.

"Awesome!" Flamepaw replied cheerfully.

Frostedpaw's whiskers twitched in amusement and she followed the group, Mousepaw in step with her.

"I'm going to beat you _this time_ Flamepaw!" He announced.

She laughed. "If you can get through _me_!"

"Challenge accepted!" He responded, giggling.

The warriors and their Medicine Cat companion rolled their eyes. The tiny she-cat kept in pace with her brother and their friend. She could picture Leaf-bare already she realized, already picturing Mousepaw's gray and white pelt almost blinding in with the snow around him. Frostedpaw stopped at the edge of the training hollow. Her mentor and her brother's and friend's sat down. Mousepaw's claws scraped the ground.

"Can we start?" He asked curiously.

Spiderleg was clearly amused at his apprentice. "If you are _all _ready."

"I am." Frostedpaw announced.

"Ditto." Flamepaw answered.

"Well alright." Leafpool called. "Be careful, I don't want anybody getting hurt."

Frostedpaw felt her tail fur fluff up because she knew it was mainly her she worried about. _I can fight, you'll all see._ She thought. She crouched down, and scented the air, pinpointing where her brother and Mousepaw were.

"Want me to go easy?" Flamepaw questioned.

"Nope!" Hissed Mousepaw, clearly excited.

Right when Flamepaw leapt for Mousepaw, Frostedpaw carefully jumped and tackled the fire colored tabby.

"I had him." Complained Mousepaw.

Frostedpaw purred in amusement. "Something told me you were going to be _faster_." She told her brother who wiggled under her.

"Hey!" He meowed. "I was going after Mousepaw." Flamepaw complained, but it was clear he was amused as well.

"_I'm_ too much for you?" She taunted.

Mousepaw was laughing. "By StarClan, I swear I'll never forget this!"

"How'd you know when to strike?" Ashfur asked.

"I could hear his paws scrape the ground before he jumped." She meowed.

"Clever." Spiderleg praised.

"You better not get bigger when you're older, 'cause clearly you're going to be tougher already." Flamepaw said, waves of embarrassment coming off him.

"She _got_ you, too easy!" Shouted a new voice, recognizing Berrypaw, Frostedpaw rolled her eyes. _I don't need his praise, he's not even a warrior yet he acts like he knows everything!_ She said silently.

"Oh, shut up!" Muttered Flamepaw and she let him back up.

"Good job, Frostedpaw." Brambleclaw called, leading his apprentice down to the hollow. "Didn't know you lot were training here."

"Needed something to do." Mousepaw meowed, but he was still laughing a bit. "Who showed you how to do that, Frostedpaw?"

She shrugged. "Just improvised actually." She informed him.

"Nice!" He replied.

"Let's try again." Suggested Flamepaw.

They continued training, this time Berrypaw joining them and they eventually divided into teams. Mousepaw and Frostedpaw, against Flamepaw and Berrypaw. It didn't take long until Frostedpaw had Berrypaw down, her paw on his neck while Mousepaw rustled with her brother.

"Who wants to go hunting?" Asked Mousepaw, after he had Flamepaw pinned, most likely looking at their mentors.

"Yeah!" Flamepaw agreed. With that Brambleclaw decided to lead them deeper into the forest to hunt.

"What's that?" Frostedpaw asked, catching a new scent. "It smells like ShadowClan."

"_Shadow_Clan?!" Hissed Berrypaw.

Flamepaw growled. "What are _they_ doing out here!?"

The scent of the trespassers get stronger and Frostedpaw felt her fur fluffing up. "They shouldn't be here; this is way past the border!" She growled.

The group was of three warriors from ShadowClan, all of which she could recognize from the gathering. _Oakfur, Smokefoot and Owlpaw._

"Oakfur!" Hissed Brambleclaw.

"A blind kit noticed us before the ThunderClan deputy knew we were here," The leader of the group sneered. "How humiliating."

"Is ThunderClan _so_ desperate for warriors that it needs to train even its most worthless kit?" Taunted another voice, of which Frostedpaw recognized as Smokefoot.

_I'm not even a warrior apprentice, _she thought angrily. She growled in fury, her tail lashing.

"You've moved the border," Brambleclaw growled.

"We've taken what should be ours, and will take more." Smokefoot replied.

"ThunderClan is hardly a real clan anymore-it's half kittypet." Oakfur put in.

"ThunderClan has nothing but true warriors!" Brambleclaw yowled. "If you want this territory, you'll have to fight for every step."

Frostedpaw's fur stood on end. _My first real battle!_ She sank her claws in the earth, ready for a fight, imagining the ground was ShadowClan fur.

"Are you _sure_ we won't win?" Oakfur growled, and as he spoke, she could scent more ShadowClan warriors not too far.

"_We'll fight for our Clan._" Hissed Flamepaw.

Frostedpaw nodded in agreement. "_We'll_ be the ones to _win!_" She announced, glaring in the direction of the ShadowClan warriors.

"_Get back to camp and tell_ Firestar to bring help!" Hissed a voice at Flamepaw nearby. "_Now!"_ Frostedpaw felt the regret in Flamepaw's heart, but he raced off. _We're clearly outnumbered, _she said silently. _Get to camp fast Flamepaw, _she prayed.

It was Brambleclaw, Mousepaw, Spiderleg, and Frostedpaw against what seemed to be the whole of ShadowClan. Flamepaw bolt off and Frostedpaw heard Russetfur yowl, "Don't let him get away!"

Two warriors charged after her brother and Frostedpaw hissed, pinpointed one of their movements and launched herself, knocking him down. _StarClan help us!_ She wailed in her head. She dodged when he got up and tried swiping at her with his claws.

"Got to be faster than that!" She growled. "I'm trained well enough to fight you!"

Owlpaw rushed in to attack and pounced on her, pushing her to the ground. "Still _think_ you're going to _win!?_" He hissed in her ear.

Remembering when she had tackled Hawkfrost and he had rolled to push her down, she copied the movements and rolled onto her back, making Owlpaw scramble onto his paws unevenly.

"_Yes!"_ She spat back.

"Don't get cocky yet!" Her first opponent growled.

By scent, she could tell Brambleclaw and Mousepaw were struggling in a fight with about four of five warriors at once and she hissed, her fur fluffed up, making her look twice her size. _Just remember Hawkfrost's training, _she told herself. "We'll still win; you'll see fox-breath." She hissed.

He growled and the two launched back into battle. They were in a whirl wind of fury of fur, but he was able to trip her and pin her to the ground, his claws sinking into her shoulders.

In the distance there was suddenly a battle cry. "ThunderClan, attack!" It was Firestar.

ThunderClan's warriors charged into the fight, making the battle more even. She smiled, and raked her claws across the warrior's muzzle. Flamepaw's scent returned and she smiled.

"Finally returned to the party?"

"In what way is _this_ a party?" He asked.

She rolled her eyes and the two fought off the warrior together. _Thanks Hawkfrost. _She said silently as they sent him running.

"This is _too_ easy." Flamepaw meowed.

She purred in amusement at her brother. "Yeah, I guess it rather is." Frostedpaw felt claws rake across her side and she spun around, and locked into combat with another warrior, about twice her size in her estimation.

Flamepaw had vanished, but she could hear his battle cries not too far. _This fight is mine. _She said to herself. Lots of time passed, but after a many minutes of battling, she heard Russetfur's cry, "ShadowClan retreat!" She bit her opponent's ear and sent him off after his clanmates.

"Our first battle!" Flamepaw called excitedly down to her. "We showed them!"

"You did very well earlier." Meowed Hawkfrost, sitting in the field. His eyes shone with his approval.

Frostedpaw smiled and puffed out her chest in pride. Earlier that day she had fought in a border skirmish and her clan had won. Her ice blue eyes gleamed with pride. She looked up at Hawkfrost, realizing the intensity of his gaze; he was lost in thought again. She waited for him to snap out of it, not bothering to disturb him, it could be important. After a while though, she was tired of waiting.

"You ok?" She asked.

He blinked and looked down at her. "Yes."

"You seem to be off in space these days." She meowed.

He shrugged.

She frowned. "I'm a Medicine Cat." Frostedpaw told him. "If you want, I could see if I could help." She offered.

Hawkfrost eyes, and thoughts were fixed on her now, she could sense that. But not only that, she could see his memories. Two cats were sitting together at the island at a gathering.

"You are going down a path I can't follow, Hawkfrost." Said a she-cat, and she recognized it as Leafpool's voice.

"I can give you anything you want." Hawkfrost was replying.

"I _have_ what a want. A family and clan I care about, and a cat I love." She told him. "But if you continue down this path with your father, I will not come with you."

He frowned, looking upset and angry. "It's me or your clan, Leafpool."

"Loyalty to the clan comes _first._" She reminded him.

"Is that your choice?"

"I'm sorry." She whispered. "But yes."

"Fine then."

She blinked, surprised. Frostedpaw looked up at Hawkfrost once more, staring deep into the depths of his icy eyes. "Hawkfrost?"

"Yes?"

"_Who _are my parents?" She asked.

"Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw."

She dug her claws into the ground. _He knows something._ "You're lying." She meowed. "I can sense it." Frostedpaw told him, her tail twitching.

Hawkfrost was surprised, _"I can sense it."_ Her words echoed in his head. _How could she know I'm lying?_ It didn't matter; he couldn't avoid this question in particular. Her eyes burned into his, the small she-cat completely identical to him, completely _his_ daughter. _Leafpool hid it from all of them, I can tell her, but how will she take it? This is Frostedpaw's battle… but it is partly mine too… _

"You're right." He meowed calmly.

"Then _who_ are my parents?" She asked, staring straight up at him, her ears flattened.

He studied her for a moment, and then answered her question. "If I tell you, it could really hurt you." He told her.

She sank her claws into the grass; he could tell she was growing impatient. "I _need to know." _She replied.

His ear twitched. "You have not yet noticed the difference between your _wants_ and _needs._" Hawkfrost informed her. "You _want_ to know, but if I do indeed tell you, it could hurt you more than you'd know."

"I'm not afraid to know the truth." Frostedpaw said softly, her ears still flattened.

His whiskers twitched now, surprised at how determined she was to learn fact from lie. "Your parents are not Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw, you were right about that. Your actual parents have been around your life for so long now." He begun, still uncertain if the truth was the best thing for her to hear. _Better now, than later._ "Your mother, is _Leafpool-_"

She cut him off. "And that makes _you_ my father, doesn't it?" She asked quietly.

"How did you…?"

"I saw one of your memories… I saw, and heard you and Leafpool talking…" Frostedpaw said, looking down.

All he felt was curiosity, not annoyance at how many questions Frostedpaw asked, despite that being _highly_ annoying in itself. "You _saw_ one of my _memories?_"

She shifted her paws, and then looked surprised. "You're not angry at me being nosey?"

"Not _so far_." He meowed, his ear twitched; he heard something nearby.

Frostedpaw's head turned, and she glanced around. "I don't see any-"

Flamepaw pounced and pushed her to the ground, purring playfully. "Got you!"

Frostedpaw swiped at her brother's ear and the two rolled around.

Hawkfrost watched for a bit, and looked up, noticing it was almost time to go. He rapped his tail around his paws and when Frostedpaw was completely on her feet again, he gave her a disapproving look. "Never give your enemy the chance of surprise." He reminded, despite knowing they were just playing again.

She nodded and Flamepaw giggled. She growled and pounced, pushing him to the ground. Frostedpaw's head went up and she frowned. "It's about morning."

He nodded and watched the two padded away, waving their tails in goodbye.

Frostedpaw woke up to darkness as her usual days went and her ice blue eyes gazed around, despite being blind. _Where's Leafpool? _She grumbled under her breath, wondering why on earth she would care. Her paws leading her to the camp entrance.

"Hey Frostedpaw, where you going?" Meowed a voice behind her. It was Mousepaw.

She turned slightly, even though she couldn't see the thick-furred gray and white tom. Frostedpaw shrugged. "Need something to do."

"Want me to come?" He asked. "I'm not trying to offend you about being blind." He murmured when her tail fluffed up very slightly.

She blinked and titled her head. "That's why most cats ask to come with me."

"I don't think your _friends_ should do that." He responded.

She smiled a bit glad he didn't fuss over her like others always did. "I guess, if you want, but I don't want to slow you down."

"Says the cat who can tackle Flamepaw."

She laughed and followed him into the forest. They walked in silence for a while then Mousepaw froze, as if alarmed.

"What is it?" She whispered.

"Shh... I see a squirrel." He called softly back.

Frostedpaw sat down, tail rapped around her paws, realizing how cold it was getting.

She heard the scrape of claws on bark and then her apprentice friend landed back on the ground, waves of pride sparking off him telling her he caught it.

"This will feed the whole nursery!" He meowed.

"The nursery is just Icekit and Foxkit." She purred, amused. "But I'm positive they'll love a nice big squirrel." _Speaking of Squirrels…._ She thought, remembering what she had learned the other night.

Mousepaw, still happy about his catch, asked if she wanted some tree-climbing lessons.

"I won't be able to see the tree." She told him, shifting her paws. Cold wind whipped across the forest leaves above her head and she shivered, thinking about the idea of trying to actually climb on branches so easily moved by wind.

"Oh, sorry." He meowed.

"It's ok, silly." Frostedpaw told him. "Come on." She padded down the path leading towards the lake shore and Mousepaw scrambled after. The two walked across the pebbles and to the edge of the water.

"I wish you could see the lake." He murmured.

She smiled and nodded. "I hear it's beautiful in the descriptions cats have given me as a kit." Frostedpaw meowed, letting the wind brush past her as the two stood by the massive body of water. Her sightless eyes stared forward as if she could see the lake in front of her.


End file.
